# Scan Multibranch Pipeline Git Packed-Refs issue **URL:** \ **Category:** Ask a question\ **Tags:** question, pipeline\ **Created:** [October 23, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.jenkins.io/t/scan-multibranch-pipeline-git-packed-refs-issue/10330 "2023-10-23T21:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MSchacht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/54ee81/32.png) [@MSchacht](https://community.jenkins.io/u/MSchacht)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.jenkins.io/t/scan-multibranch-pipeline-git-packed-refs-issue/10330/1 "2023-10-23T21:33:47Z")
Hi all. We’re running into an issue with an issue scanning the main repo that’s used for several different pipeline jobs. Right now whenever a job scans this repo to look for branches to build, I get the following error at the end of the scanning log: ```auto > git.exe fetch --tags --force --progress --prune -- origin +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=10 ERROR: [Mon Oct 23 14:28:56 PDT 2023] Could not fetch branches from source 28812075-85b0-489f-954e-ce1d47119ee0 [Mon Oct 23 14:28:56 PDT 2023] Finished branch indexing. Indexing took 4.3 sec FATAL: Failed to recompute children of hudson.plugins.git.GitException: Command "git.exe fetch --tags --force --progress --prune -- origin +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*" returned status code 128: stdout: stderr: fatal: unterminated line in .git/packed-refs: at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.launchCommandIn(CliGitAPIImpl.java:2842) at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.launchCommandWithCredentials(CliGitAPIImpl.java:2185) at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl$1.execute(CliGitAPIImpl.java:635) at jenkins.plugins.git.AbstractGitSCMSource$8.run(AbstractGitSCMSource.java:605) at jenkins.plugins.git.AbstractGitSCMSource$8.run(AbstractGitSCMSource.java:591) at jenkins.plugins.git.AbstractGitSCMSource.doRetrieve(AbstractGitSCMSource.java:397) at jenkins.plugins.git.AbstractGitSCMSource.doRetrieve(AbstractGitSCMSource.java:351) at jenkins.plugins.git.AbstractGitSCMSource.retrieve(AbstractGitSCMSource.java:591) at jenkins.scm.api.SCMSource._retrieve(SCMSource.java:372) at jenkins.scm.api.SCMSource.fetch(SCMSource.java:282) at jenkins.branch.MultiBranchProject.computeChildren(MultiBranchProject.java:654) at com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.computed.ComputedFolder.updateChildren(ComputedFolder.java:269) at com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.computed.FolderComputation.run(FolderComputation.java:167) at jenkins.branch.MultiBranchProject$BranchIndexing.run(MultiBranchProject.java:1057) at hudson.model.ResourceController.execute(ResourceController.java:101) at hudson.model.Executor.run(Executor.java:442) Finished: FAILURE ``` Looking at this error online, the consensus seems to be to just delete the `.git/packed-refs` file. The problem is I don’t know where that file is in this case, since its not even gotten to the part where its building anything yet. I’ve not been able to find it in the Jenkins server. And since files in .git aren’t tracked (and don’t look like they can be from what I’ve tried), I can’t update the repo to have this file deleted. Any ideas? ## Jenkins setup: Jenkins: 2.414.2 OS: Windows 10 - 10.0 Java: 17.0.8 - Oracle Corporation (Java HotSpot™ 64-Bit Server VM) ant:497.v94e7d9fffa\_b\_9 antisamy-markup-formatter:162.v0e6ec0fcfcf6 apache-httpcomponents-client-4-api:4.5.14-208.v438351942757 authentication-tokens:1.53.v1c90fd9191a\_b\_ bitbucket:223.vd12f2bca5430 bitbucket-push-and-pull-request:2.8.4 bootstrap5-api:5.3.2-1 bouncycastle-api:2.29 branch-api:2.1128.v717130d4f816 build-name-setter:2.3.0 build-timeout:1.31 caffeine-api:3.1.8-133.v17b\_1ff2e0599 checks-api:2.0.2 cloudbees-bitbucket-branch-source:845.v27a\_d5823911b\_ cloudbees-folder:6.848.ve3b\_fd7839a\_81 command-launcher:107.v773860566e2e commons-lang3-api:3.13.0-62.v7d18e55f51e2 commons-text-api:1.10.0-78.v3e7b\_ea\_d5a\_fe1 credentials:1271.v54b\_1c2c6388a\_ credentials-binding:636.v55f1275c7b\_27 dashboard-view:2.495.v07e81500c3f2 display-url-api:2.200.vb\_9327d658781 durable-task:523.va\_a\_22cf15d5e0 echarts-api:5.4.0-6 email-ext:2.102 font-awesome-api:6.4.2-1 git:5.2.0 git-client:4.5.0 github:1.37.3 github-api:1.316-451.v15738eef3414 github-branch-source:1741.va\_3028eb\_9fd21 gradle:2.8.2 handy-uri-templates-2-api:2.1.8-22.v77d5b\_75e6953 instance-identity:173.va\_37c494ec4e5 ionicons-api:56.v1b\_1c8c49374e jackson2-api:2.15.2-350.v0c2f3f8fc595 jakarta-activation-api:2.0.1-3 jakarta-mail-api:2.0.1-3 javax-activation-api:1.2.0-6 javax-mail-api:1.6.2-9 jaxb:2.3.8-1 jdk-tool:73.vddf737284550 jjwt-api:0.11.5-77.v646c772fddb\_0 job-dsl:1.85 jquery3-api:3.7.1-1 jsch:0.2.8-65.v052c39de79b\_2 junit:1240.vf9529b\_881428 ldap:701.vf8619de9160a\_ mailer:463.vedf8358e006b\_ matrix-auth:3.2.1 matrix-project:808.v5a\_b\_5f56d6966 mercurial:1260.vdfb\_723cdcc81 mina-sshd-api-common:2.10.0-69.v28e3e36d18eb\_ mina-sshd-api-core:2.10.0-69.v28e3e36d18eb\_ okhttp-api:4.11.0-157.v6852a\_a\_fa\_ec11 pam-auth:1.10 pipeline-build-step:505.v5f0844d8d126 pipeline-github-lib:42.v0739460cda\_c4 pipeline-graph-analysis:202.va\_d268e64deb\_3 pipeline-groovy-lib:689.veec561a\_dee13 pipeline-input-step:477.v339683a\_8d55e pipeline-milestone-step:111.v449306f708b\_7 pipeline-model-api:2.2144.v077a\_d1928a\_40 pipeline-model-definition:2.2144.v077a\_d1928a\_40 pipeline-model-extensions:2.2144.v077a\_d1928a\_40 pipeline-rest-api:2.33 pipeline-stage-step:305.ve96d0205c1c6 pipeline-stage-tags-metadata:2.2144.v077a\_d1928a\_40 pipeline-stage-view:2.33 plain-credentials:143.v1b\_df8b\_d3b\_e48 plugin-util-api:3.4.0 resource-disposer:0.23 scm-api:676.v886669a\_199a\_a\_ script-security:1275.v23895f409fb\_d snakeyaml-api:2.2-111.vc6598e30cc65 ssh-agent:333.v878b\_53c89511 ssh-credentials:308.ve4497b\_ccd8f4 ssh-slaves:2.916.vd17b\_43357ce4 sshd:3.312.v1c601b\_c83b\_0e structs:325.vcb\_307d2a\_2782 timestamper:1.26 token-macro:384.vf35b\_f26814ec trilead-api:2.84.v72119de229b\_7 variant:60.v7290fc0eb\_b\_cd workflow-aggregator:596.v8c21c963d92d workflow-api:1283.v99c10937efcb\_ workflow-basic-steps:1042.ve7b\_140c4a\_e0c workflow-cps:3793.v65dec41c3a\_c3 workflow-durable-task-step:1289.v4d3e7b\_01546b\_ workflow-job:1348.v32a\_a\_f150910e workflow-multibranch:756.v891d88f2cd46 workflow-scm-step:415.v434365564324 workflow-step-api:639.v6eca\_cd8c04a\_a\_ workflow-support:865.v43e78cc44e0d ws-cleanup:0.45 ---
**Author:** ![MarkEWaite](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.jenkins.io/markewaite/32/20_2.png) [@MarkEWaite](https://community.jenkins.io/u/MarkEWaite)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://community.jenkins.io/t/scan-multibranch-pipeline-git-packed-refs-issue/10330/2 "2023-10-24T03:23:46Z")
How about: ```bash cd $JENKINS_HOME && find . -type f -name packed-refs -print ``` That should find all files in the Jenkins home directory that have the name `packed-refs`. Then you can decide which of those files should be deleted. ---
**Author:** ![MSchacht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/54ee81/32.png) [@MSchacht](https://community.jenkins.io/u/MSchacht)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://community.jenkins.io/t/scan-multibranch-pipeline-git-packed-refs-issue/10330/3 "2023-10-24T15:49:15Z")
Thanks for the reply. I was able to track down the `packed-refs` file in the newest folder under `$JENKINS_HOME\caches`. I’ve had to manually clear out the cache before, but its been a while so I had forgotten about it. The most recent cache had that `packed-refs` file, and I also had to delete all the folders under `$JENKINS_HOME\caches\git-\.git\refs`. With those files/folders deleted, the pipeline scan rebuilt its cache and worked fine.